Cockney phrase

[johnbeardon]

Can anybody tell me what the expression ' A two out ' means in the song'Don't dilly dally on the way'? It comes in the lines 'I soon got over that, with a two out and a chat, Cos a bit of what yer fancy does yer good'

Thanks

[Postdog]

It's by no means a common phrase, and probably relevant to the time the song was written. I would guess it is a reference to a quick drink or something - slugs of gin were quite cheap at the time.

[waggyboy]

1..Two OUT, maybe from IN AND OUT (SNOUT = Cigarette,Fag)..
She had a Fag and a chat, clamed down and was over it.
I think "Fancy a Fag" was a common saying and they also thought Fags were good for you back then, :(
2.. Two Out, maybe just like we do today take Two minutes out (have a break from the thing we are doing)..
3.. Maybe a combination of both,,

[waggyboy]

1..Two OUT, maybe from IN AND OUT (SNOUT = Cigarette,Fag)..
She had a Fag and a chat, clamed down and was over it.
2.. Two Out, maybe just like we do today, take Two minutes out (have a break from the thing we are doing)..
3.. Maybe a combination of both, TWO MINUTES FOR A FAG,,
lots of cockney has multiple slang for the same word, but it is strange that TWO OUT has not been made more common by the fact that it was used in a popular song,
When I was growing up we called them"Salmon"(Salmon and trout)=Snout.
or "Oily rags" = FAGS,,
They do both have more of a ring to them,,

[orangescarf]

My personal theory is that "two-out" is an abbreviation of the phrase "two out of three" and that this is Cockney rhyming slang for "tea". The lady singing the song is upset after her china plate was broken, but feels better after having a cup of tea and a chat (that makes much more sense to me than the alternatives listed here). Because many names/phrases rhyme with "tea" there are many possible Cockney rhyming slang expressions for it which can come in and out of fashion quickly - for example Rosie Lee, Bruce Lee, Kiki Dee have all been used for tea (Rosie still being a popular one). The song was written in 1919 and the first recorded uses of Rosie as Cockney rhyming slang for tea was in the early 1920s, so I guess that "two-out" was only popular for a short time and that may be why knowledge of the expression has been lost

[sg181]

I think Orangescarf is right here; it fits with the context -- but to add a bit of gloss, the "best piece of china" that was broken wasn't a plate, it was a po' -- a chamber pot (the context is that they were carrying the marble wash hand-stand when it was broken, and why in the classic Marie Lloyd recording the audience laughs when she sings
"the car-man bloke,
had an accident and broke,
well, the nicest bit of china that we had.")